Cleanup of Alviso Slough

Note: I am scheduling every feasible cleanup for the King Tide season--we'll cancel some of these depending on weather and participation.

Arrive at the Marina at around 11:00am (depending on how long it takes you to prepare your kayak--if it takes you an hour, arrive by 10:30am). We will paddle away from the dock at 11:30am--no exceptions--after a safety briefing and distribution of garbage bags. If you're late, just catch up to us. We won't be moving quickly. We'll paddle up Alviso Slough on a huge 10.7 ft tide possibly as as far as 3-4 miles, depending on conditions. We'll meander up the slough, cleaning as we go, aiming to rendezvous just past the Tasman st. bridge for lunch and storytelling about 1:00pm. .

On the way up, we'll paddle by the South Bay Yacht Club, the flood control gates, and watch the environment turn from saltwater slough to fresh water river. There are often lots of birds to see--one year we were visited by a golden eagle. We may even get a glimpse of the slough's elusive beavers. Once we've stopped for lunch we'll wait for the tide to turn. We'll be riding the tide both ways. www.sloughkeepers.org will provide garbage bags, and kayak barges for hauling out trash. If you have a SOT or even better a tandem SOT, please bring it because we need more hauling capacity!

This is a chance to paddle an interesting environment, and is good for all levels of kayakers, even beginners. There are no rentals nearby, so you'll have to bring your own kayak or arrange for a drive-away rental.

The new Alviso Marina is a great place to launch from with both high and low docks, a boat ramp, and bathroom facilities in the lower parking lot. The launching facilities are in the upper parking lot.

Please arrive early and be on the water, ready to depart the dock at 11:30am. The current on these Fall tides is substantial, so the launch time depends on being able to ride the tide both ways.

This is a chance for all kayakers to give a little something back to the waterways we all enjoy so much.

There are often clumps of reeds that jam up in parts of the slough. In the past we have nearly always been able to bust through these clumps, but sometimes it is a little work, and there is the slight chance we will not get as far as we would like. But it is very slight. I am offering this in the interest of full disclosure, since on a past paddle someone was quite upset that we had to do a little bushwacking to continue up the slough.

Sloughkeepers will also provide wash hoses, but you can bring your own as well. A T-valve would be great. There probably won't be a place to urinate during the paddle, but we might get lucky. See you there!